Bhubaneswar: Around 1,237 villages in Odisha, accounting for 2.4% of the state’s total, still do not have access to mobile and network services, Electronics & IT Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the state assembly on Monday.
In a written reply to a question by Congress leader and Lakshmipur MLA Pabitra Saunta, Mahaling said that out of 51,172 villages in the state, connectivity remains unavailable in these 1,237 villages. The minister added that the government has planned to extend mobile and network services to all these villages by June 2026.
Under the Government of India’s Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) scheme, formerly known as the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), 3,281 of the 4,225 planned mobile towers in the state are already operational. The remaining 944 towers are targeted to be functional by July 2026.
In Koraput district, 286 towers have been installed by RJIO and 21 by BSNL over the past five years under the DBN scheme, all of which are currently fully operational. Work is now underway to install 76 more towers to cover the remaining 88 unserved villages in the district, with completion expected by June 2026.
The minister emphasised that these initiatives are part of the government’s broader plan to ensure digital inclusion and bridge the connectivity gap in rural Odisha.
